Printing-press.



No. 632,628. Patented Sept. 5, I899.

H. F. BECHMAN.

PRINTING PRESS.

(Application filed Jan. 29, 1898.)

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No. 632,628. Patented Sept. 5, I899.

' H. F. BECHMAN.

PRINTING PRESS.

(Application filed Jan. 29, 1898.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2,

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Attorneys,

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No. 632,628. I Patented Sept. 5, I899. H. F. BECHMAN.

PRINTING PRESS.

(Application fiied Jan. 29, 1898. (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet -3,v

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No. 632,628. Patented Sept. 5, I899. H. F. BECHMAN.

PRINTING PRESS.

(Application flied Jan. 29, 1898.)

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(No Model.)

Attorneys.

H. r. BECHMAN.

PRINTING PRESS.

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- Unrrnn STATES PATENT Genres.

HENRY F. BEOIIMAN, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE DUPLEX PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PRINTING-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 632,628, dated September 5, 1899.

Application filed January 29, 1898. Serial No. 668,510. (No model.)

ing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is an improvement in sheetperfecting printing-presses of the bed-andcylinder type and preferably of that class in which the cylinders or both cylinders and bed reciprocate. I

The object of the present invention is to prevent offset without the employment of tympan sheets or webs by removing the sheets from the first cylinder after they have been printed on one side and suspending them for a greater or less number of cycles of operation of the press until the ink has practically set or dried and then to deliver such sheet to the second cylinder to be perfected. In practice a number of sheets printed on one side will be in transit between the first and second cylinders, so that the machine can operate continuously at its normal speed and yet each sheet be suspended until the first impression thereon is practically set before the perfecting impression is taken.

The machine which I have shown in the drawings may embody various features of the press shown in the patent to Joseph L. Cox, No. 539,356, of May 14, 1895, and in my application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 636,165, filed May 12, 1897, so far as relates to the feeding and delivering devices and the means for reciprocating the beds and cylinders and for throwing off and on impressions. In the aforesaid presses the sheet of paper when printed on one side is transferred directly to the second impression-cylinder, in which case the ink on the sheet just printed has no time to dry, and offsetting occurs. In the mechanism about to be described each partially-printed sheet of paper is taken from the first impression-cylinder and hung up to dry, as it were, and when the ink is set the sheet is delivered to the second impressioncylindcr, wherebyit is perfected. The ink being by this time practicallydry, little or no offset occurs upon the perfecting-cylinder, so that it is not really necessary to employ a tympan therewith.

The invention isbest summarized in the claims, and'the accompanying drawings embody what I consider the best form of practicallyoperative apparatus now known to me; but I do not intend to entirely limit my claims to any particular construction of parts, as when the principle of the machine is known various mechanisms for utilizing the same can be contrived without departing from the spirit of my invention, and various alterations may be made even in the con struction shown.

At the present time I believe myself to be the first to provide means for automatically handling the sheets so that the ink is given time to set between the first and second impressions thereon, and therefore entitled to claims commensurate with this broadly novel feature of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a detail side elevation, partly in section, of a perfectingpressflhe sheet-transferring mechanism being clearly and correctly shown and the printing mechanisms of the press being conventionally illustrated in a manner clearly understandable by those skilled in the art. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the sheet-transferring mechanism, showing different positions of the parts by aid of dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of part of the sheet-transferring mechanism looking from the feed end of the press. Fig. 4 is a like view of such mechanism looking from the delivery end of the press. Figs. 5 and 6 are details of the sheet-suspending devices. Fig. 7 is a detail View of amodification. Fig. 8 is a detail view illustrating how the transferring mechanism may be employed ina single-acting press. Fig. 9 is a detail sectional View showing the arrangement of cams and crank-disks on shaft 12. Fig. 10 is a detail view showing the means for drivingshaft 12. Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail view of the grippers 79. V

The main frame 1, drive-shaft 5, pinion 6, crank-gear 8, crank-pin 9, crank-shaft 7, pitman 11, and pin in cross-head 10 are substantially like those shown in the aforesaid patent of Cox and my aforesaid application. The cross-head or cylinder-carriage 2 is made longer than before, so as to permit of the separation of the impression-cylinders 3 and 4 in order to make room for the mechanism for holding and transferring the sheets of paper from the first to the second impressioncylinder. The beds, cylinder, gripper mechanism, throw-off devices, and sheet feeding and delivering mechanism, forming no part of the present invention, are not shown, but may be substantially like those in my aforesaid application.

The mechanism for transferring the sheets from one cylinder to the other is locatedat the center of the press and supported above the cylinders upon the top frames 13 and 13 and is controlled by a shaft 12, carrying upon its ends a pair of crank-disks 31 and two similar cams 54, one back of the other, having similar raceways 53. The shaft 12 is located on the main frame between the cylinders 3 and 4 and is driven by bevel-gears 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. Gear 14 is secured to shaft 12. Gears 15 and 16 are secured to the vertical shaft 20, having bearings at 22 and 23.

Gears 17 and 18 are secured to the horizontal shaft 21, having bearings at 24 and 25, and gear 19 is secured to crank-shaft 7.

26 is one of a pair of levers on opposite sides of the press outside of the frames 13 and 13, fulcrumed on a stud 27. Each lever is caused to move up and down byastud 28 and pitman 29, which connect them to pins 30 on crank-disks 31. The uppermost position of levers 26 is shown by full lines and the lowermost position by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The left-hand end of lever 26 is connected to a sliding block 37 by means of the link 35. It should be understood that the lever 26, links 29 and 35, and sliding block 37 are in duplicate, one set being on each side of the press. As the crank-disks 31 revolve the intervening mechanism cause the sliding blocks 37 to move up and down upon the vertical guides 55 on the left-hand end of frames 13, as shown.

The sliding blocks 37 have bosses 38, through which pass the shaft 39, on one end of which is secured the segment-gear-40, having teeth that engage with teeth on the under side of a swinging rack-bar 41, which is pivoted on the stud 42, secured to the frame 13. To guide the free end of rack-bar 41 and prevent it disengaging segment 40, a swinging bracket 43 is loosely mounted upon shaft 39, which bracket, while properly guiding the bar, can readily assume any angle, as indicated by the dotted lines, Fig. 2, wherein the full and dotted lines show the bar 41 and accompanying parts in their extreme positions.

44 and 44 are a pair of arms attached to shaft 39 and carrying grippers 45 and 45, adapted to grip the edge of a sheet of paper and transfer it from the first impression-cylinder 3 to one of the holders of the collector. The grippers 45 are closed*by springs and are a partial rotation of the segment and shaft is caused as the shaft is raised or lowered. When the parts are in the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, cylinder 3 has just imprinted a sheet on one side and stopped in position to surrender the sheet to the grippers 45 on arms 44. The front edge of the, sheet of paper just printedis then takenfrom the cylinder 3 by grippers 45 and carried by arms 44 in a forward and lifting direction and is delivered to a sheet-collecting mechanism when the grippers are movingin nearly avertical direction. This sheet-collecting device is a collecting and transfer mechanism by which a large number of sheets printed on one side are collected or assembled and suspended vertically and parallel and then moved slowly along toward the second impression-cylinder at a rate of speed much less than the feed to'and delivery from the press and much slower than the rate at which the sheet maybe printed by the cylinders, so that a large number of impressions will be made by each cylinder before any sheet printed on the first cylinder reaches the second cylinder. The number of sheets collected by the col-. lecting mechanism before the first sheet is perfected enables the sheets to be afterward supplied by it to the second cylinder as fast as sheets are taken by it from the first cyline der,while each sheet is suspended long enough to set the ink of the. first impression before being perfected. The grippers 45 when about to take a sheet from the cylinder3are opened by means of one of the cams 54, having a raceway 53, cam-roller 52, lever 51, shaft 50, and levers 49 and 49, respectively provided with shoes 49 on their ends adapted to engage the rollers 47 and open the grippers 45 when required.

In the opposite ends and upper part of the frames 13 and 13 are journaled' shafts 56 and 82,each having secured to it a pair of sprocketwheels 67 and 67. Shaft 56 also has secured to it, near one end, a ratchet-wheel 57', and

too

loosely mounted beside the ratchet is a lever 58, carrying a pawl 59, which engages the ratchet. Lever 58 is operated by means of a cam-rod 60, which is connected to lever 58 by means of a stud, and the lower end of rod 60 has a roller 61 engaging the cam-groove 53 of a second cam 54.

Extending from one shaft 56 to the other, 82, and around the sprocket-wheel 67 67, & c., are endless sprocket-chains composed of the outside links 64 64, &c., the inside links 65 65, &C., and the connecting-pins 66. To the outside links of each chain are attached fingers 62, and secured to them are springs (33, &c. These fingers and springs are what I term the holders, and the chains, fingers, and springs I call a collecting device, because a sheet of paper is delivered to and gripped between opposite fingers, and their springs and a large number of sheets are assembled and gradually transferred across the press, where they are successively delivered to the second impression-cylinder at by means of spring grippers or catches 79, which are attached to the ends of upwardly-projecting arms78 78, mounted on a vertically-movable bar 76, which extends from one side of the press to the other and is free to slide up and down in the guides 77 of the frame 13. Motion is imparted to the bar by means of connecting-rod 74, stud 73, lever 72, rock-shaft 71, cam-lever 70, and cam-roller 69, which engages with the cam-raceway 68 on the back side of crank-disk 31. These connect-ions may be duplicated at each end of the bar. The grippers 79 may be closed against projections 781 on the arms 78 by means of springs 792, attached to levers 791, fixed to the sides of the grippers 79, as indicated in Fig. 11. The lower ends of the sheets of paper lowered by arms 78 are directed by a funnel-shaped piece of metal 82 into position to be seized by the grippers 81 of the second impression-cylinder 4.

Operation: The sheet to be printed is fed to the first impression-cylinder 3 when it is in the position shown by full linesin Fig. 1. The cylinder then travels to the position shown by dotted lines at 3, making in this time one revolution. Here the impressioncylinder grippers 80 open and the lifting-arm grippers 45 close upon the sheet, as shown in dotted lines. The shaft is then raised and turned through one-fourth of a revolution by means of the sliding blocks 37, segment-gear 40, and rack 11 until very near its topmost position, at which time the upper edge of the sheet is drawn in between a set of fingers 62 and their springs (33, whereupon the rollers 47 on the arms 46 of the grippers 45 strike projections 48 on the top frame, and as the lifter-arms continue upward the grippers are opened,leavingthe sheet of paper-suspended in the holders of the collecting mechanism. Before the shaft 39 starts to descend the collecting mechanism is caused to move the sheet forward by means of the ratchet 57 a distance equal to the space between the holders of the collector. The shaft 39, with its lifting-arms and grippers, can then descend without the latter catching upon the edge of the suspended sheet of paper. At each operation of the press a fresh sheet is printed and transferred to the collector, and the printed sheets are carried along until the front sheet comes in line with the spring-grippers 79, when the latter in descending catch the upper edge of the sheet and carry it downward until its lower edge is in proper-position to be caught by the grippers 81 of the second impressioncylinder 4, whereby as the cylinder at starts upon its forward travel the sheet 84c is pulled out from the spring-grippers 79. Then the grippers 79 rise in time to catch the next foremost sheet and feed it into position to be caught by the grippers 81 on cylinder 4 at the next operation of said cylinder.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a large number of sheets are collected and suspended between the first and second cylinders. This number may be varied according to the number of holders in the collector and distance apart of the cylinders; but such a number are employed that the first impression on the sheets is practically set before the sheet is delivered to the perfecting-cylinder. In the machine shown the press can operate at a rate of about two thousand perfected impressions per hour and each sheet be suspended in the collector for about three minutes, and thus ample time is allowed for the ink to set. The sheets are hung vertically parallel and are moved very slowly, so that there is very little liability of their contacting and blurring in the collector.

As a modification of the mechanism fordelivering the printed sheets from the collector to the perfecting-cylinder a transfer-reel 85 might be used, asindicated in Fig. 7, this reel being provided with grippers 86 and being moved at such speed that at the proper time grippers 86 will catch the lower end of the foremost suspended sheet and then move through part of a revolution, thereby withdrawing the sheet from the collector and delivering it to the grippers 81 on the perfecting-cylinder 1. As shown, reel 85 is operated by gears 185 18% from a gear 183 on shaft 12, and its gripper may be controlled by a lever 121 and cam 122.

The sheet collectingand holding device may obviously be employed in single-actin g presses of various styles, so that the sheets printed on one side may be suspended to dry and be finally delivered by the collector to any suitable mechanism for depositing them upon a bank or table. With these presses the collector would be exceedingly useful by allowing the ink to set before the sheets are piled up. By this means the liability of the sheets to smut and the necessity of inserting blank sheets between them to prevent offset would be avoided, and the printer could proceed to the perfecting of the sheets on such presses much sooner than if they had been piled together immediately after impression.

As indicated in Fig. 8, the sheets are taken by the grippers 79 from the carrier and are delivered onto and piled upon an inclined delivery-board 279, this delivery-board taking the place of a second impression-cylinder in a perfecting-press. The grippers 79 may be operated to seize the sheet by means of a beveled stop 797, which engages the roller 796 on the gripper-arm, the grippers being opened when the arm rises toits highest positionand being closed by the spring 792, so as to seize the upper edge of the sheet as the grippers descend. When they reach the proper position, the grippers are again opened by the roller 796 engaging a beveled stop 798 on the frame, thus releasing the sheet.

Having thus described my invention, what I therefore claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent thereon, is"- 1. In a sheet-printing perfecting-press, the combination of the cylinders; with means whereby sheets printed on one side are suspended during a number of operations of the press until the ink is practically set or dried and then delivered to the second impressioncylinder to be perfected.

2. In a sheet-printing perfecting-press, the combination of a pair of gripper impressioncylinders; with means whereby a number of sheets printed on one side by one cylinder are assembled or collected and suspended during a number of operations of the press until the ink is practically set or dried and then successively delivered to the second impression-cylinder to be perfected.

3. The combination in a sheet-printin g perfecting-press of a pair of cylinders and beds; with means intermediate the printing mechanism for collecting and holding a number of printed sheets independently of each other to enable the ink to set, means for transmitting the sheets from the first cylinder to said collecting mechanism and means for transferring sheets from said collecting mechanism to the second cylinder to be perfected.

4. The combination in a sheet-printing perfecting-press of a pair of gripper impressioncylinders; with a sheet collecting device adapted to hold a number of printed sheets suspended independently of each other during a number of operations of the press to enable the ink to set, means for transmitting the sheets from the first cylinder to said collecting device, and means for delivering sheets from said collecting device to the second cylinder to be perfected.

5. In a printing-press, the combination of mechanism for perfecting sheets; with a sheet collecting and holding device, substantially as described, whereby the sheets after being printed on one side may be suspended during the time of a number of cycles of operation of the press and then perfected, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In a printing-press, the combination of mechanism for perfecting sheets, and a sheet collector and holder substantially as described adapted to suspend the sheets after being printed on one side to enable the ink to set; during the time of a number of'cycles of operation of the printing mechanism; With means for transferring the sheets from the printing mechanism to the collector, and means for delivering the sheets from the collector to the second printing mechanism to be perfected, substantially as described.

7. In a sheet-perfecting printing-press, the

combination of a pair of cylinders; with a and mechanism for taking the sheet from the holder and delivering it so that its opposite edge is grasped by the second impression-cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

9. In a printing-press, the combination of the impression-cylinders; with a collector for assembling and suspending by one edge a number of the sheets printed on the first impression cylinder and slowly transferring them to the second impression-cylindeiywhere by each sheet is suspended during the time of a number of operations of the press between the time it received the first impression and the time of its perfecting.

10. In a printing-press, the combination of the impression-cylinders and beds; with a collector adapted to assemble and hold the sheets printed on the first impression-cylinder suspended during a number of operations of the press, and subsequently deliver them to the second impression cylinder; with means for intermittently moving the collector at a rate of speed much less than that of the reciprocating member of the printing mechanism, for the purpose and substantially as described.

11. In a perfecting printing-press, the combination of means for printing the sheet on one side and means for perfecting the sheet; with a sheet-collector whereby each sheet printed on one side is taken and held suspended by one edge for the ink to set during a number of operations of the press and then delivered to the perfecting-cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

12. In a printing-press, the combination of two cylinders, means for taking a sheet printed on one side from one cylinder by one edge, holding it in the air during a number of operations of the machine and then delivering it so that its opposite edge is grasped by the other cylinder to be perfected, substantially as described,

13. In a printing-press, the combination of tWo oscillating gripper-cylinders,'a sheet-collector, means for takinga sheet printed on one side from one cylinder and giving itto the collector whereby it is held in the air during a number of operations of the machine, and means for finally delivering such sheet to the other cylinder to be perfected, substantially as described.

14. In asheet-printiugperfecting-press,the combination of two gripper-cylinders, a sheetcollector, mechanism adapted to remove the sheets from the grippers of first cylinder after they have been printed on the first side, and transfer them to the collector whereby said sheets are suspended for a number of cycles of operations of the press until the ink has practically set or dried, and means for subsequently delivering such sheet to the grippers of the second cylinder to be perfected, substantially as and for the purpose described.

15. In a sheet-perfecting press, the combi nation of the cylinders, a sheet collecting and assembling device independent of the cylinders adapted to hold each sheet duringanu mber of operations of the press, mechanism for transferring sheets from the first impressioncylinder to the collector; means for shifting the collector so as to move the sheets slowly toward the secondimpression-cylinder, mechanism for delivering the sheets from said collector to the second impression-cylinder, substantially as described.

16. In a sheet-perfecting press, the combination of the separated gripper-cylinders located in substantially the same plane, an endless sheet-collecting device located above the plane of, and substantially intermediate the cylinders, adapted to hold each sheet during a number of operations of the press mechanism for transferring sheets from the first impression-cylinder to the collector, means for giving the collector a slow movement so as to move the sheets toward the second impression-cylinder, and mechanism for delivering the sheets from said collector to the second impression-cylinder, substantially as described.

17. In a sheet-perfecting press, the combination of the gripper-cylinders, an endless sheet-collector intermediate the cylinders and adapted to suspend a number of sheets by one edge vertically and parallel; and means for moving said collector step by step so as to transfer the sheets slowly from the first toward the second impression-cylinder; with means for transferring sheets from the first cylinder to the collector, and means for transferring sheets from the collector to the second cylinder, substantially as described.

18. In a sheet-perfecting press, the combination with the cylinders, of a sheet-collector intermediate the cylinders, consisting of opposite endless chains each provided with a series of holders adapted to grasp the edge of asheet and suspend the same during a number of operations of the press, and means for transferring sheets from the first cylinder to the holding devices of the collector; with means for moving the collector step by step and means for transferring sheets from the collector to the second cylinder, substantially as described.

19. In a sheet-printing press, the combination of a pair of impression-cylinders; means for removing sheets from the first cylinder consisting of a movable shaft provided with grippers adapted to take a sheet from the first cylinder when the shaft is at one end of its stroke and to release the sheet when the shaft is at the other end of its stroke; with a sheetcollector and transfer mechanism provided with a series of sheet-holders adapted to receive the sheets from said grippers, and carry them from the first toward the perfecting-cylinder, and means for transferring the dried sheets from the collector and delivering them to the perfecting-cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

20. In a sheet-printing press, the combination of a pair of impression-cylinders, means for removing sheets from the first cylinder, consisting of a rock-shaft movable at right angles to its axis provided with arms, and grippers carried by said arms adapted to take the sheets from the cylinder when the shaft is in one position and to release the sheet when the shaft is in another position, and means for rocking said shaft as it is moved; with a sheet-collector and transfer mechanism adapted to take the sheets from said delivery device, and carry them from the first to the perfecting cylinder, and a device adapted to remove sheets from the collector and deliver them to the perfecting-cylinder,

substantially as and for the purpose de-- scribed.

21. In a sheet-deliveringdevice, the combination of a horizontal shaft provided with grippers, means for raising and lowering said shaft, a toothed segment fast to the shaft and a pivoted rack-bar engaging said segment whereby said shaft is locked simultaneously with the raising and lowering thereof; with the stop adapted to cause the opening of the grippers at the upper end of their stroke, and the cams and levers, substantially as described, to control the grippers when the shaft is at the lower end of its stroke, for the purpose and substantially as described.

22. In a sheetdelivering device, the combination of a horizontal rock-shaft provided with arms carrying grippers on their extremities, means for raising and lowering said shaft, a toothed segment fast to the shaft and a pivoted rack-bar engaging said segment whereby said shaft is rocked as it rises and falls; with the fixed stop adapted. to engage and open the grippers at the upper end of their stroke, and the cams and levers, substantially as described, adapted to control the grippers when the shaft is at the lower end of its stroke, for the purpose and substantially as described.

23. In a printing-press, the combination of the first and second cylinders, and a sheet collecting and transferring mechanism, consisting of opposite parallel shafts, sprocketwheels thereon, the sprocket-chains running over said wheels and a series of fingers 62 provided with springs 63 attached to said chains adapted to grasp the edges of sheets of paper and suspend the same, and means for intermittently rotating said shafts; with mechanism substantially as described for taking sheets from the first cylinder and delivering them to the sheet-holding devices of the collector and mechanism substantially as described for taking the sheets from the collector and delivering them to the second impression-cylinder, substantially as described.

24. In a printing-press, the combination of 10 the cylinders, the sheet-collector substantially as described and means for transferring sheets from the first cylinder to the collector;

two witnesses.

HENRY F. BEOHMAN; In presence of CHARLES H. WHEELocK, FRANK W. DUNNING. 

